ISTANBUL: At least five people werekilled and 12 wounded in an attack in the Syrianborder town of Jarablus, Turkish security and hospital sourcessaid on Thursday, only a day after civilians started returningto their homes in the town.
Wounded people were taken to hospitals in Turkey´s southernprovince of Gaziantep, which lies across the border from
Jarablus, same same hospital sources said.
A group of 292 Syrians went back to the Syrian town ofJarablus from Turkey on Wednesday, marking the first formal
return of civilians since Ankara launched a military incursiontwo weeks ago to try to secure the border region, a Turkishofficial said.
Jarablus, which had been held by Islamic State, was thefirst town captured by Turkey´s army and its Syrian rebel allies
in an offensive launched on Aug.24 that aims to sweep awayjihadists and Syrian Kurdish militias from the frontier.
Turkey has said it cleared militants from a 90-km (55-mile)stretch of Syrian territory and has pushed south.It has also
said it would support any U.S.initiative to strike IslamicState´s stronghold of Raqqa, further to the southeast.
But Turkey´s tactics have drawn criticism from its NATO allythe United States and also from Russia, with which it recently
patched up ties.
Washington says Turkish attacks on Kurdish-aligned militiasdamage a U.S.-backed coalition that is fighting Islamic State.
Russia, which backs the government in Damascus, said onWednesday Ankara´s push south threatened Syria´s sovereignty.